AUBURN – The city’s long summer of Auburn Mall-area road work is scheduled to begin Monday, with road widening work along Mount Auburn Avenue and sewer line work along the southern section of Turner Street.

“They’ll be out, no matter what the weather holds for us,” said city Economic Development Director Roland Miller. “The weather may determine what they do, but they have a lot of preparation work. So, they willl be out on Monday.

Mount Auburn Avenue traffic shouldn’t be hampered by work at this stage, he said.

Crews will begin efforts to widen that road, adding additional lanes on both eastbound and westbound sides. Work on Monday is scheduled to begin west of the Center Street on-ramp, and crews will work their way toward the Turner Street intersection in the next few weeks.

But drivers along Turner Street will notice the work. It involves installing a new sewer line under the existing street, from Plummer Road north, past the Mount Auburn Avenue intersection.

Road widening work on Turner Street will follow behind the sewer crews, Miller said.

The city will circle the mall area with detour signs, warning commuters away from the area.

Work will continue throughout the summer, five days per week. Miller emphasized that stores and restaurants in the area will remain open for the duration.

“If you plan on using those roads to get someplace else, I’d suggest going around,” Miller said. “If you want to go shopping, the stores will all be open.”

Overall, plans call for installing two roundabouts along Turner Street, adding medians and traffic islands along Mount Auburn Avenue and sidewalks throughout the area.

Crews will finish in the spring 2008, paving Turner Street and Mount Auburn Avenue and completing landscaping work around the area.

Miller said crews will cap off the work in November by putting down a basic covering of asphalt to get it ready for winter and snow.

They’re scheduled to finish the project the following spring.

That should involve finishing landscaping, installing the roundabouts and putting down the final coat of asphalt.